Stoelcker - Frankfurt chair

 

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It was the standard chair of the 1950s and 60s.

How did this chair get the name “Frankfurt kitchen chair"? In 1926 Bauhaus architects designed a new type of kitchen: the Frankfurt kitchen. The kitchen workplace was designed after ergonomic and practical considerations for the first time. This chair was part of the kitchen.

The Frankfurt chair by the old company Stoelcker is a true classic of furniture history since then and thanks to its simplicity it still hasn’t lost any of its uniqueness.

In 1934/35 Max Stoelcker pursued the idea to reduce the chair to the components feet, seat and back and leave out the connecting elements.

The so developed front foot construction was patented. Front foot, front frame and seat were glued together in one process, which ensured the longevity of the chair.

The result was a simple but comfortable chair that was regarded natural on first sight in the face of its simplicity. However, on second sight its simplicity and diffidence reveals a high quality, which makes the chair one of the most important designs in the history of furniture.

Following the big success of the chair, thousands of chairs have been produced in the first years. Later in the 1950s, when all of the larger manufacturers of chairs started producing similar knock-offs, the chair was used by the German rail, mail, army and many other agencies and schools. It became the standard chair of the 1950s and 60s.

The Frankfurt chair experienced its renaissance after a work-order by Pina Bausch for the Wuppertal dancing theatre, where it “acted a part”. A supernumerary, which was being danced on and which was thrown about: another piece of evidence for its stability and timeless aesthetics.